


Two Halves of the Same Heart

by Chroniclerofthelosttales



Series: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait [5]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-04-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 13:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1470964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chroniclerofthelosttales/pseuds/Chroniclerofthelosttales
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zelena can't defeat Emma and Regina when they work together, so she has to break one of them -Emma- by getting rid of a certain pirate once and for all. But Emma refuses to let him go, and she knows she can save him, but what's the price?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Halves of the Same Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Because TLK is just to mainstream...

A drop of sweat trickled down the side of the witch's face, pale eyes momentarily widening in anger as she became aware of it and the exhaustion that swept through her. But she wouldn't show weakness, and she simply tilted her head and straightened out her skirts as she stood to her full height, a sweet smile playing across her face as she eyed the small band of warriors who came out to fight her. But her attention was focused mostly on the savior and her little sister, who stood before her with their choice of weapon drawn.

            "It would seem I've under estimated you." her voice chimed as she smiled at them, but they could see the malice behind her eyes.

            "Sure as hell you did." Emma shot back, holding her borrowed sword higher.

            "Don't mistake me, my dear. You may have one the battle, but the war is mine."

            "We beat you once. We can do it again." Regina stated, smirking confidently at the witch.

            "Oh poor Regina." Zelena cooed. "You cant." she paused, letting the words sink in.

            "Your no match for me without your _apprentice_." She spat the word, sending Emma a hateful look, because as much as she hated to admit it, the girl's raw powers were strong, even as roughly tutored as they were. "Together you make formidable foes. But that wont matter for long." she said smiling again as her eyes quickly glanced at someone to her right.

            "What do you mean?" Charming asked, taking a steep closer to stand behind his daughter protectively.

            Zelena's smile contorted, changing from sickly sweet to something- _wicked_. "It means I'm going to break you!" She laughed, "I'm going to strip away your strength, your power - your heart, _Savior_. You will lose your hold on magic, be sure of that. And then you will be defenseless, because wicked always wins."

            "I guess you haven't heard." Emma grinned, feeling confident of the situation and she lowered her weapon as she stepped up to the witch, "It's already been tried, my heart cant be taken."

            "Well who said anything about taking it dear?" she said with feigned innocence.

            Emma narrowed her eyes in confusion. If the witch wasn't talking about taking her heart then what did she mean?

            "I suggest you say goodbye." she grinned.

            In that brief second Emma had to ponder her words, the witch had protruded a jagged and evil looking spike from her sleeve, black and sickly emerald in color.

            With a wicked laugh she flung the projectile with the added force of magic and disappeared into a cloud of green smoke, narrowly avoiding the fireball Regina had intended for her.

            Time seemed to slow as Emma watched the spike fly through the air, it's trajectory sending it straight and true, faster than an arrow towards...

            "Hook!" Emma felt her voice tear at her throat, and she watched in horror as it hit its mark with a sickening thud.

            She watched as Hook swayed with the impact, saw his knees falter and buckle under his weight, watched as he came crashing down onto the pavement with a grimace and confusion in his eyes.

            Her sword clattered to the ground as she ducked under Regina's still outstretched arm, racing to where her fallen captain lay.

            "Hook! Hook!" she screamed, grasping his coat as she came to kneel beside him.

She felt his hand come to grasp hers, clutching it tightly as he held it against chest.

            "It feel like we've been here before, Swan." He tried for a joke, his eyes shutting with the pain as he tried to make her smile. But she didn't laugh, didn't smile, she could only gape at the spike buried in his heart.    

            "Stay still, I can fix you! I can fix you!" she shouted hysterically, trying to reassure him as much as herself.

            Emma waved her spare hand over his chest, ridding it of the spike and smiling as she noticed the wound had closed with her magic.

            A sigh of relief escaped her lips as Hook seemed to relax, and she dashed away the moisture that had gathered in her eye as the creases on his brow softened and he smiled up at her.

            But a moment later, as tried sit up -a smug remark already on his lips- he instantly curled in on himself with a gasp, clutching his chest and falling back to the ground.

            "Hook!" Emma cried again, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and settling his head in her lap. He didn't say anything, could only gasp and cringe as his chest felt like it was being ripped apart.

            "Regina! What's happening?" Emma looked up to where the queen had knelt on the other side of the Captain, examining the spike that had been discarded to the ground.

            "It's been poisoned." She said, solemnly, looking up to Emma's desperate face.

            "With what? Dreamshade? Can't you fix it?" She asked, but Regina was already shaking her head.

            "I don't know what it is. But it cant be fixed with magic- every poison needs an antidote. Emma, I'm sorry." Her voice was rough with emotion, and Emma knew she meant it. But she couldn't accept it.

            "No, no, no, no, no." Emma was shaking her head, running her thumb along his cheek as he grimaced and gasped for air. "There's gotta be something we can do, we cant- we cant just let him die!" Tears had begun to stream down her face, and she felt a hand come up to brush away the wetness from her cheek. "I'm not going to let you die." she whispered, covering his hand where it rested on her face.

            "Emma, look at me love." His voice came out strained. She glanced down to meet his eyes and was shaken by what she saw in their depths. Pain, infinite regret and grief, hope, sorrow, fear - _love_.

            "Don't let the witch get to you. Your strong, Emma, remember that. You can defeat her without me. You won't fail."

            "No, don't say that. I'm going to save you." her voice was thick, and her vision became blurry with tears. "What's the point of being the savior if I can't save _you_!"

            He didn't want to leave her, didn't want to become another person to die in her arms because she'd had enough of this. She deserved to be happy, and it broke his rugged heart to know that she wouldn't have that. Not yet. Not today. And not with him.

            "Alas, this is my fate." He laughed bitterly, his voice becoming weaker. "But you've still got your family, love. They will never leave you."

            "But you're my family!" She cried, rocking back and forth as she held him, "You can't leave me! You just cant! I love you! I love you." She said it a second time, as if wondering at what she had just said and realizing that she meant it, that it was true.

            "And I love you, Emma Swan, my beautiful, stubborn lass." he whispered.

Emma watched his lips curl in a sad smile, saw the glimmer of hope and mischief that still danced across in his eyes before he shut them with a final sigh.

            "Hook?" Emma shook him. "Killian?" she tried again, tightly clutching his stupid leather jacket. He was still, the color already draining from his face, and Emma felt her throat tighten as she rested her head against his.

            "Please, come back." She said softly, her thumb running along the scar on his cheek as she closed the remaining gap to gently press her mouth against his still warm lips.

            Nothing happened. There was no gust of magic wind, no "Swan" or "love", no stupid steel hook brushing her hair away. Nothing.

            "Why didn't it work?" Emma asked, glancing at Regina, desperate for an explanation.

            "Emma, this isn't a curse. He's gone." She replied sorrowfully before retreating a respectful distance.

            And suddenly Emma couldn't hold it in anymore, falling across his chest with raking sobs as she halfheartedly thumped his shoulder, holding onto his coat like an anchor- because he wasn't _gone_ , he wasn't _lost_ , he wasn't going to come back- he was _dead_. She couldn't save him. The witch had won.

            And now she would never hear his lilting voice, his rare laugh, his comforting words. Wouldn't feel his gentle touch of reassurance or warm presence that she had come to long for. And she couldn't get the chance to wipe that irritating smirk off his face whenever he did one of those many little things that made him imperfectly _perfect_.

            And she cried even harder when she realized that everything he had done, he had done for her, right up to his last breath.

            A warm hand found it's way to her shoulder, and she knew it was David, doing his best to comfort her even as tears filled his own eyes. And she heard Snow weeping, Tink and Belle stood together dashing moisture from their eyes, even Regina shed a tear- and it hurt. Hurt so much to know that he was so loved and never knew it. That he thought he was alone.

            "Emma, It's time to go. You have to let go." She faintly heard her father say, but she wouldn't, couldn't let go because she loved him, she needed him.

            She felt her heart split in two. It was burning, tearing at her chest as it broke once again, a tear time would never mend.

            "No. No, I can't leave him." She choked through her tears, an idea taking hold in her mind. "I can still save him."

            With a wave of her hand she created a barrier, David falling to the ground as it blasted out from around her.

            "Emma, what are you doing?" She heard his muffled shout, ignoring it as she plunged her hand into her chest.

            The pain of tearing out her heart was diminutive compared to her sorrow.

She stared at the glowing organ in her hands. She felt- nothing. It was a relief to feel the emptiness, the cold. But she could hear her parents pounding at the barrier with their fists, Mary-Margret yelling at Regina to break the barrier, and shrieking at her to put it back, and this wasn't the answer.

            A faint smile touched Emma's lips because Snow didn't know what she meant to do, didn't know that she fully intended to put her heart back.

            Her eyes found the uneven split in her heart, where it had literally torn from grief. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was about to do. With trembling fingers she tore the two segments apart, screaming as the pain filled her entire being.

            There were two. Two halves of her heart in her hand.

            She sighed in relief that it didn't kill her, and hoped that the next part worked or else she would wish it had.

            Her hand caressed Killian's face, running down until it rested on his chest before she tore out his heart.

            It didn't glow. It had been blackened with the poison, and he could see the jagged scar that marked where the spike had pierced it. It fit perfectly with the halves of her heart.

            She shut her eyes as she feels the tingle of magic leaving her fingertips as she willed them to be together, to become whole, to become one.

            A soft red glow prompted her to open her eyes and she gasped. Two beautiful, pure glowing hearts stared back at her. It was now or never.

            "Come back to me, Killian." she whispered softly, then plunged both hearts into their chests.

            Emma felt the sorrow com rushing back and she held Killian's face in her hands, searching for signs of life where there was none.

           She was about to give up hope -succumb to her tears- when blue eyes flew open, and Killian was gasping for air. Filling his eyes and lungs with _her_.

            "Swan." he smiled in awe as he realized what she had done for him. "Emma."

            And he wrapped his arms around her, his hand tangling in her hair as he pulled her down to meet him halfway as he reached for a desperate kiss. Their mouths met with a fervent push in pull, the saltiness of tears mingling with the taste of their eager lips. And they clutched each other tightly, scared to let go because they couldn't bear the thought of being separated again.

            "When I said I would win your heart," he purred, his nose rubbing hers as he paused for air, "I didn't mean it this literally."

            Emma and laughed, running her hands through his hair as she brought him closer. "Just shut up and kiss me, pirate." she said, wiping off his smirk with another kiss before he could say another word.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Whoooo! I was right! This is possible! *happy dance*! And anyone else feel like things are about to get really season 3/4 of Fringe?


End file.
